The Florida Tech women’s soccer team has been picked sixth in the 2016 Sunshine State Conference Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll, announced by the SSC office on Tuesday. (FIT Image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – The Florida Tech women’s soccer team has been picked sixth in the 2016 Sunshine State Conference Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll, announced by the SSC office on Tuesday.

The Panthers received 33 total votes in the poll, just five behind fifth-place Saint Leo (38), who salvaged one of the nine total first-place votes handed out.

“Every year, playing in what we feel is the toughest conference in the country, we’re always going to be tested from top to bottom,” said second-year head coach Dustin Smith. “That’s always been proven during the postseason with how our conference consistently performs.”

Florida Tech returns eight starters from last year’s 10-5-2 club, including three all-region selections in Eva Banton, Keira McCarthy and Ciera Misner. Furthermore, 2013 leading goal-scorer Aubri Williamson appears to be back to form after missing nearly two entire seasons, while freshman midfielder Maria Munoz has already been noted early on in camp as a player to keep an eye on in 2016.

The regular season gets underway Friday, September 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET as the Panthers set to welcome Texas A&M-Commerce to Rick Stottler Field.

Below is the full 2016 SSC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. You can also find a link to the 2016 SSC Women’s Soccer Season Outlook, which gives fans an inside look at the upcoming conference season from the perspective of the league’s women’s soccer head coaches.